Back in late June a small group of Christian apologists were arrested for answering questions about Islam and Christianity on a public street. To date, the group that was arrested has published several responses. One is found here:Acts17 Response

The city of Dearborn is apparently in a bit of an awkward spot, for they have failed to return the video evidence to the defendants, which is very suspicious for a mere disturbing the peace charge. Further, the Mayor of Dearborn has posted a response, located here:Dearborn Mayor Letter

By keeping up with the news stories and watching the online discussions, the good Mayor’s response is not accurate, and is heavily tinged with rhetoric. A good response is posted here:Response to Dearborn Mayor

To all of this I add a couple of comments to all the Christians who are involved. The role of an apologist is to express the truth in love. It is easy to be nice and peaceful when one is not confronting the sensitive issues. As much as I respect Josh McDowell, I suggest that paying them for booth space, handing out novels, and not discussing the direct apologetic issues is in a different category than directly showing the evidence of Muhammad being a false prophet. Whether the Christian ministers in Dearborn make open statements about the falsity of Islam at the Arab Festival, I don’t know. But being somewhat familiar with how apologetic conversations go, I strongly suspect that they are not dealing with the same questions as the Acts 17 Apologetics group.

I urge everyone involved to dial down the rhetoric a bit. If we are to be respected, we must have a calm academic tone. That said, apologetics is not for those who will avoid confrontations. There are other ministries in the church for those who feel confrontation is not for them.

NEW INFORMATION:
A new response to the Mayor of Dearborn, just posted from the Acts 17 Apologetics group. The leadership of Dearborn is looking worse and worse.Acts 17 Response